Past Paper (Multiple Choice) Flashcards
What are PF Keys?
Function Keys (Standard on all keyboards)
What does PF3 do?
PF3: Used to exit the program (not break)
What does PA1 do?
PA1: Interrupt/Break key
What are PA keys?
Function keys (but were only relevant on 3270 keyboards)
What does PA2 do?
PA2: Doesn’t do anything (Could be used as a hotkey)
What does PA3 do?
PA3: Doesn’t do anything (Could be used as a hotkey)
What does PF1 do?
PF1: Help
What does PF2 do?
PF2: Split
What does PF4 do?
PF4: Return
What does PF5 do?
PF5: RFind
What does PF6 do?
PF6: RChange
What do PF7, PF8, PF10 and PF11 do?
PF7: Up PF8: Down PF10: Left PF11: Right
What does PF9 do?
PF9: Swap
What does PF12 do?
PF12: Retrieve
How large is a Cylinder approximately?
A bit under a megabyte
How many tracks is a Cylinder?
15 Tracks
What does ‘RECFM=V’ mean?
Record Format = Variable (Each single record that gets written to a single data set at variable sizes up to and including the max)
What does ‘RECFM=F’ stand for?
Record Format = Fixed (Every single record that gets written to a single data set is that many MB)
What does ‘RECFM=VB’ stand for?
Record Format = Variable Blocked (Records get put together in a block of the BLKSIZE within each data set)
What does ‘RECFM=FB’ stand for?
Record Format = Fixed Blocked (Records get put together in a block of the BLKSIZE within each data set)
What does ‘LRECL=1000’ mean?
Logical Record Length = 1000 (not sure whether to ignore?)
What does ‘SPACE=(TRK,(100,100))’ mean?
When adding the data set the system will allocate 100 tracks (6.6 cylinders) initially, then 100 tracks for any additional space
What does ‘SPACE=(CYL,(3,1))’ mean?
When adding the data set the system will allocate 3 cylinders initially, then 1 cylinder for any additional space
What does ‘BLKSIZE=10000’ mean?
10000 lots of 1000 bytes (around 10mb) (If Record Format = Block, the block = BLKSIZE)
What will the JCL code: ‘//A DD DISP=SHR,DSNAME=C.D,VOL=SER=V,UNIT=3390’ do?
Will look for the Dataset C.D on Volume V (If told the volume to look at, it will not look in the catalogue)
What will the JCL code: ‘//A DD DISP=SHR,DSNAME=A.B,VOL=SER=W,UNIT=3390’ do?
Will look for the Dataset A.B on Volume W (If told the volume to look at, it will not look in the catalogue)
What will the JCL code: ‘//A DD DISP=SHR,DSNAME=A.B’ do?
Not told it a volume, will look for A.B within the catalogue, will look for high level qualifier A, questions says there’s an Alias for A relating to C.D, it is catalogued within C.D
What will the JCL code: ‘//A DD DISP=SHR,DSNAME=A.B,VOL=SER=X,UNIT=3390’ do?
Will look for the Dataset A.B on Volume X (If told the volume to look at, it will not look in the catalogue)
What does ‘IEBCOPY’ do?
Dealing with Partitioned Datasets and members and copying those
What does ‘IEBGENER’ do?
Copies from one sequential dataset to another sequential dataset, will not copy members
What does ‘IEBUPDTE’ do?
You can use IEBUPDTE to create or modify sequential or partitioned data sets or PDSEs.
What does ‘IDCAMS’ do?
Used to create and manipulate VSAM data sets
What is the ‘Input’ phase (JES2)?
JES2 reads the input stream and assigns a job identifier to each JOB JCL statement. JES2 places the job’s onto DASD data sets called Spool Data Sets. JES2 then selects jobs from the spool for processing and subsequent running.
What is the ‘Conversion Phase’ (JES2)?
JES2 uses a converter program to analyse a job’s JCL statements. The converter takes the job’s JCL and merges it with JCL from a procedure library. Then, JES2 converts the composite JCL into converter/interpreter text that both JES2 and the initiator can recognise.
If JES2 detects any JCL errors, it issues messages, and the job is queued for Output rather than execution.
What is the ‘Processing Phase’ (JES2)?
In the processing phase, JES2 selects jobs that are waiting to run from a job queue and sends them to initiators.
What is the ‘Output Phase’?
JES2 controls all SYSOUT processing. This output includes system messages that must be printed, as well as data sets requested by the user that must be printed or punchec. JES2 ques the output for print or punch processing.
What happens at JES2 Initiator?
Waiting for other conflicting jobs to complete before continuing when a required dataset has a DISP=OLD conflict Initiator starts before your programs, first thing initiator will do before it begins is make sure that they have shared and exclusive locks on all those datasets
What is the ‘Atomic Instant’?
The one overall defined decision. The Sync Point Manager records a yes/no decision. Recorded to persistent storage, meaning the sync-point manager can always look back at the decision.
What kind of storage holds the JES2 spool area?
Auxiliary Storage (DASD Volumes) (If it was in main memory then is you switch off the system then everything is gone)
What happens in phase one of a two-phase commit?
In phase one the sync-point manager goes to all the resource managers and asks them if they can commit. It does not complete the commit at this stage, just asks whether they can do what is required to be done.
What happens in phase two of a two-phase commit?
The sync-point manager sends the Atomic Decision to all Resource Managers to either complete or not complete the commit.
What happens between phase one and phase two of a ‘two-phase commit’?
The ‘Atomic Instant’. The sync-point manager records a decision based on the resource managers decisions in the first phase as to whether to commit or not.
Consider the following JCL: //L JCLLIB ORDER=(A) //* JOBPARM PROCLIB=PROCBB // JOBLIB DD DISP=SHR,DSN=C //S EXEC PGM=P //STEPLIB DD DISP=SHR,DSN=D Which library is searched for member P?
D JCLLIB = Library of JCL procedures PROCLIB = Procedure Library P = Program (PGM), you would not search in a JCLLIB or Procedure Library for a program C is in a Job Library D is in a Step Library Step Library is looked at for a program before a Job Library.
What does the Support Element (SE) look after?
The firmware
One-use server within the mainframe that looks after firmware
What is the Common Storage Area (CSA)?
“Another thing of memory that Z/OS uses for stuff” - Malcolm Beattie
What is the Link Pack Area (LPA) related to?
Hardware
Into which memory is the I/O Control Data Set (IOCDS) loaded at power-on time?
Into the Hardware Save/System Area (HSA)
What is the Hardware Save/System Area (HSA)?
A chunk of memory that LPARS can’t get at, but the firmware and the system can to do I/O configuration
XI
Answer: B
a) Different disk, different configuration - good way of recovering
b) Going to try and run it on A, but A is down so A isn’t going to be able to pick it up
3. Boot the system point at a different configuration member and use working members - good way of recovering
4. z/OS system that has direct access to the volume that it’s actually on then we can open that data set, edit it and fix it from there - good way of recovering
What’s a Central Processor (CP)?
General purpose processor for any Z Operating System
What’s a z/OS Integrated Information Processor (zIIP)?
A characterisation that’s cheaper and doesn’t affect software bills, but again it’s z/OS that’s running Java and other stuff on it
What’s a z Application Assist Processor (zAAP)?
An older fashioned version of a zIIP (probably won’t be used, if it does it will be wrong)
What’s a System Assist Processor (SAP)?
Selects appropriate channel paths and arranging for the execution of an I/O offloaded from the Processing Units (PU)
XIV
Answer: A
A) Newer version of a PDS which means you don’t have to do what’s exaplained in B PDS/ (an extended version)
B) Meaning of the word compressing, but not the meaning of compressed when we’re talking about PDSs, we’re not actually compressing the data in that sense, we’re re-organising the members of the PDS to get rid of the gaps
C) For PDS’s that are to do with VSAM
D) What’s compressing got to do with more people being able to use it at the same time?
Newer version of a PDS in which you don’t have to do that – PDS/E
What are the ACID properties?
- Atomicity - Consistency - Isolation - Durability
XVI
Answer: B
- Doesn’t affect licencing costs
XVII
Answer: C
- Parallel Sysplex technology helps with the availability of the hardware side. But if your disk dies, then Parallel Sysplex doesn’t help, but GDPS integrates and does something on the disk side
XVIII
Answer: C
XIX
Answer: D
- UserId in JobID, so it’s D
XX
Answer: C
- Will convert the code into something that will be understood by the system
